Chap. 3:22-25—The next sphere of responsibility that Paul addresses is the work place, wherein servants and masters have their respective roles.
Servants [Bondmen]
(Vss. 22-25)
These believers were slaves. Slavery is something that God never intended for man; it was introduced by perverse men for base means. It is interesting and instructive to see that in each of Paul’s epistles which address this subject, he does not encourage the believing slaves to make an effort to extricate themselves from their situation. Rather, he tells them how to behave in their situation so that the testimony of God's grace in the gospel would be furthered. This is because Christianity is not a force to correct social injustices in the world; that is not the object of the gospel. When the Lord came at His first coming, He did not attempt to reform the world by rectifying its social and political wrongs. He will do all that in a coming day when He intervenes in judgment at His Appearing. Then every crooked thing in this world will be set right (Isa. 40:3-53The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:3‑5)). Accordingly, Christians have not been called to set the world right, but to wait for that coming day. We are to leave the world as it stands, and to announce the gospel that calls men out of it for heaven. There is, therefore, no injunction in the epistles for Christians to set right the wrongs of slavery, or any other social injustice in the world. This is because we are “in” the world but not “of” the world (John 17:1414I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. (John 17:14)). The Lord said that if His kingdom were "of this world," then His servants would fight in these causes (John 18:3636Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (John 18:36)). But since such is not the case, we are to "let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth" (Isa. 45:99Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? (Isaiah 45:9)).
Paul knew how important it was for Christians to maintain a good testimony before the world. His great concern for Christian bondmen was that they would behave in an upright way so that “the name of God and His doctrine” would not be “blasphemed” (1 Tim. 6:11Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. (1 Timothy 6:1)). These believing slaves were not to run away (as Onesimus did before he was saved – Philemon 1515For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; (Philemon 15)), but to remain in their station of life and glorify God before their masters by treating them with genuine respect, and not “with eyeservice as men pleasers.” If they served with “singleness of heart, fearing God,” it would render a powerful testimony of the reality of their faith in Christ. Thus, they were to work for their masters “heartily, as to the Lord” for in reality they were serving “the Lord Christ.” This shows that regardless of where a believer stands in his social status in society, he still has an opportunity to witness for Christ. We cannot all be missionaries, but we can all share the gospel with those whom we interact in our daily lives, and thus serve the Lord in that way.
To encourage these bondmen in this, Paul reminds them that the Lord was taking note of all that they did, and that He would “reward” them in a coming day with their possession of “the inheritance.” What a reversal was coming for these believing slaves! They had very few possessions in this world—they couldn’t own property, etc.—but they were destined to be joint-heirs with Christ over the inheritance of every created thing in the universe!
Masters
(Chapter 4:1)
Lastly, Paul addresses Christian masters. Again, we do not read of him telling them to cease from their involvement in slavery. Instead, he instructs them on how to behave as masters in a way that would honour God. They were to remunerate their servants with what was “just and equal” for their services rendered. Masters were to be conscious that they had a “Master in heaven” to whom they are responsible.
Living in the western world where slavery has long been abolished, we might be inclined to think that this passage has no application to us today. However, when we are gainfully employed at some firm in the workplace, we are, in principle, in the same position as these Christian servants. During the hours of our employment in our occupations, we render our services to various firms for wages. Therefore, the injunctions given here to servants have a practical application to us when we are employed in the work place. Likewise, employers who own a company and have employees, in principle, are in the position of masters, and they are to run their companies in a way that would honour the Lord.
Church history reveals that this injunction was generally heeded by Christian slaves—to the point that it was well-known in the world of slavery that a Christian slave commanded a higher price on the auction block. It is a tribute to the Christian faith. It should be the same today; any employer who can get a Christian employee ought to be thankful, because the Christian should look after his employer's business with due diligence and treat it as if it were his own (Eph. 6:5-85Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. (Ephesians 6:5‑8); 1 Peter 2:1818Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. (1 Peter 2:18)).